Zimmerman case echoes issues of race, guns

By Paul Waldman, Special to CNN

Updated 1836 GMT (0136 HKT) July 14, 2013

Photos: Reaction to Zimmerman verdict27 photos

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, is joined by her son Jahvaris Fulton as she speaks to the crowd during a rally in New York City, Saturday, July 20. A jury in Florida acquitted Zimmerman of all charges related to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. View photos of key moments from the trial.

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Photos: Reaction to Zimmerman verdict27 photos

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Protesters attend a rally in support of Trayvon Martin, in New York on July 20. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized the "'Justice for Trayvon' 100 city vigil" which called supporters to gather in front of federal buildings around the country on July 20, as a continued protest against the George Zimmerman verdict.

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Photos: Reaction to Zimmerman verdict27 photos

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks to the crowd during the rally in New York City on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Beyoncé, left, and Jay-Z, center, arrive at the rally in New York City on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Thousands of people gathered outside the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in downtown Atlanta as part of the network of vigils on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A chalk outline, a bag of Skittles, and a can of iced tea are seen during the vigil outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Protesters march across the Brooklyn Bridge toward Brooklyn after attending the rally in Manhattan on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Tracy Martin, father of Trayvon Martin, poses for a photo with supporters wearing hoodies at the rally in Miami on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Protesters march through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, on Tuesday, July 16, during a demonstration of the George Zimmerman trial.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – The Rev. Al Sharpton calls for a full federal investigation of the Martin killing, saying mere remarks by President Barack Obama and others weren't enough, outside the U.S. Justice Department in Washington on July 16.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A passenger takes a picture of protesters as he rides a city bus on July 16 in Los Angeles.

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Leon McCutchin participates in a candlelight vigil for Martin on July 15 in New York City.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A large group of demonstrators march through downtown Atlanta on July 15 during a protest of the acquittal of George Zimmerman.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Outside the Department of Justice in Washington on July 15, Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, leads a prayer during a demonstration asking for justice for Trayvon Martin.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Residents of Sanford, Florida, attend a prayer vigil to promote peace and unity in their city in the wake of the George Zimmerman trial on July 15.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – About 500 demonstrators gather during a rally and march in support of Trayvon Martin on July 15 in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A man argues with a police officer as supporters of Trayvon Martin march while blocking traffic in Union Square in New York on Sunday, July 14.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A man throws a trashcan during a protest in Oakland, California, on July 14.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – People gather at a rally honoring Trayvon Martin at Union Square in New York on July 14.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Demonstrators march following a rally at the Torch of Freedom in downtown Miami on July 14.

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A protester shouts in the streets of New York on July 13.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A man in Los Angeles wears a shirt in support of Trayvon Martin on July 13.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Tanetta Foster cries in front of the courthouse on July 13 after hearing the verdict.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A Trayvon Martin supporter rallies outside the courthouse on July 13. After Martin's death, protesters started wearing hoodies in solidarity against racial profiling.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Demonstrators and members of the media gather outside of the courthouse on July 13. The jurors deliberated for more than 16 hours before delivering their verdict.

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Story highlights

Paul Waldman: Zimmerman trial reflected much of U.S. struggle with race; verdict did not

He says reasonable doubt and Florida law made acquittal unsurprising

He says it may not have been law's intent, but the threat it addresses is colored by race

Waldman: O'Reilly, Limbaugh, others are race-baiting when they warn of unrest after verdict

Many trials in recent years have implicated our ongoing national struggles with race. But few have gotten as much attention as that of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed young Trayvon Martin 17 months ago in Sanford, Florida. Perhaps the uncertainty of what really happened that night is part of what drew us: Since only two people knew exactly what transpired and one of them is dead, we're free to speculate and argue to our heart's content.

It may also be the fact that this young black man wasn't killed by the police, but by an ordinary citizen. So anybody could put himself or herself in the place of Zimmerman or Martin.

The verdict by itself says very little about race in America. Juries don't ponder such things; their job is to answer particular legal questions (in this case: Did Zimmerman kill Martin in self defense?)-- which may not be the ones the rest of us are asking. And so Zimmerman's acquittal wasn't much of a surprise.

Trayvon Martin couldn't give his side of the story, leaving ample room for reasonable doubt. More importantly, under Florida law, it's perfectly legal to follow someone for even the worst of reasons, confront them, and even start a fight with them. Then when you lose the advantage to the point where you believe you're in danger of "great bodily harm," you can shoot the other person dead. The law forgives, whether forgiveness is deserved or not. Zimmerman could have had the soul of Martin Luther King or Bull Connor, and it wouldn't have made a difference to whether he was innocent or guilty under this law.

That's "standing your ground," the legal world that gun advocates have created and this case has highlighted. Gun rights supporters have a Hollywood fantasy in which a brave homeowner uses his gun to fight off a vicious criminal gang intent on killing his family, but this case showed a far less romantic reality: A nebbishy neighborhood watch volunteer with a never-to-be fulfilled dream of becoming a cop chased down a kid who just wanted to get his Skittles back to his dad's house to watch a basketball game.

Paul Waldman

The state laws governing who you're allowed to shoot and when may not have been built with race in mind, but out in the real world, our perception of what's threatening is still colored profoundly by race. Bill O'Reilly wondered the other day if, after an acquittal, people would "run out and cause trouble." After all, you know how those people are. The head of the Miami-Dade police went to a black church to warn, "Riots are not acceptable and riots are not expected."

Well, if they aren't expected, why was the warning necessary?

There were warnings of riots from many corners, just as there were those who saw in this case an excuse to pick at race like a scab, for no reason other than sending their audiences to greater heights of resentment. Rush Limbaugh, for instance, read a story about the Justice Department sending mediators to Sanford to help local officials defuse tensions, and saw a conspiracy from a White House practically taken over by Black Panthers.

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"Stoking the racial stuff is the way Obama was raised," said Limbaugh, the most prominent race-baiter in America. "He's got a chip on his shoulder about it, and he's here to square the deal. And (Attorney General Eric) Holder too. I think all of these guys have an anger about them."

Even as we scorn repellent hate-mongers like Limbaugh, it's good to remind ourselves that we all make assumptions about other people, and we'd all benefit from examining them. Much of our reaction to cases like this one is built on what we assume other people are like, regardless of what we know about them as individuals. That's what turns a kid walking down the street with candy in his pocket into a threat that should be met with a gun at the ready.